The creators of Leave It to Beaver creators were worried viewers wouldn’t like the series once the Beaver grew up
Would The Beaver be as funny if he wasn’t a kid?
Leave It to Beaver was lucky enough to stay on the air long enough to watch the Cleaver boys grow up, something that actually led to a few worries from series creators, Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher.
Initially envisioning the series focused on a family with two young boys, the men grew nervous that the older Wally and Theodore became, the less an audience might enjoy them. Luckily, as time went on, they realized they had nothing to fear.
“We used to worry about the fact that the show’s initial success might be due to the unique whimsy arising from an eight-year-old’s point of view. We think the past three seasons have vitiated our worries on that score,” said Mosher in an interview with the Leader-Tribune. “Our viewers are sticking with Beaver through thick and thin and advancing age.”
In fact, Mosher and Connelly quickly discovered that as actors Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow got older, they developed more as actors, giving them more room as writers.
“This makes the writing easier,” said Connelly. “We don’t have to limit the choice of words. When, too, as the boys gain experience, they’re both becoming better actors.”
Not only did the boys serve as stars of the show, but they were also a good source of material for the writers.
“When we’re looking for a storyline, we call over Jerry and Tony and ask, ‘what’s new fellows?’ And darned if those boys don’t come up with a potpourri of ‘what’s new’ activities for the script,” said Mosher in an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“No grownup, no matter how talented they are as a writer, could possibly dream up the idea,” said Connelly. “and the end result is that we have another episode for the show.”
